Stress levels can rise in NFL team headquarters heading up to the draft, as teams assess potential picks and trades that can make or break a franchise's future.
That said, things apparently reached a breaking point at Raiders headquarters Friday. According to NFL Media, Oakland head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock "sent their scouts home for the weekend and they are not expected to return by draft time." According to the report, Gruden and Mayock "don’t know who to trust and wanted to clear the room."
Sources: #Raiders coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock sent their scouts home for the weekend and they are not expected to return by draft time. The belief is they don’t know who to trust and wanted to clear the room.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2019
That report prompted rampant speculation. Are Gruden and Mayock concerned about a mole in the Raiders organization, someone possibly passing along the team's draft strategy to another team or teams?
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Has Gruden's strong opinions on player personnel decisions led to negative feedback from others in the organization? Or have Gruden and Mayock already made up their minds and don't want outside noise affecting their decisions?
Whatever the case, Gruden and Mayock have a few more days of strategizing before the draft begins Thursday. The Raiders are loaded with high picks this year'. They hold their own pick at No. 4, the No. 24 pick they received from the Bears in the Khalil Mack trade and the No. 27 pick (from the Cowboys for the Amari Cooper trade). Their second-round pick comes at No. 35 on the draft board.
According to Bleacher Report earlier this week, "not many would be surprised" if the Raiders cashed in some of those draft picks to trade for the No. 1 overall pick, to choose either Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray or Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa. Having team meetings where someone untrustworthy could tip that strategy obviously could affect negotiations.